Benni Chawes

Born in Denmark in 1967, Benni Chawes developed a vocal practice spanning vocal jazz, soul, pop and a cappella, at times taking the role of a bass or a rhythm section. Trained at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied piano, he first attracted attention in the United States within the vocal jazz scene before joining the groups Vox One from 1996 to 1998 and Five O’Clock Shadow in 1999. That same year he formed a trio with Bob Moses and László Gárdony, replacing the bass instrument with his voice, and released Benni Chawes as Human Bass in 1999. In the mid-2000s he shifted his repertoire toward a song-centred format, with arrangements blending jazz, pop and soul, as on Up Close (2006), produced by Chris Minh Doky, and Bang & Olufsen Presents Benni Chawes (2007). His career alternates between work as a singer, pianist and songwriter, with occasional collaborations in jazz and popular music and performances in Scandinavia and the United States.